Dialogue with Mar Thoma Church

On Friday 16 October 2026, the fourth meeting of the bilateral dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church was held at the Bishop’s House of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Palai in Kerala, India, co-chaired by Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and Suffragan Metropolitan Joseph Mar Barnabas.

As agreed at the previous meeting in 2025, the meeting included presentations on the development of the Mar Thoma liturgy (H.G. Bishop Dr. Joseph Mar Ivanios) and on the theology of marriage in a Catholic and Mar Thoma perspective (Rev. Augustine Kadeparambil, and Rev. Shibi Varghese).

The Mar Thoma Church was represented by: H.G. Dr Joseph Mar Barnabas, Suffragan Metropolitan (Co-Chair), H.G. Dr. Isaac Mar Philoxenos, H.G. Dr. Joseph Mar Ivanios, Very Rev. Dr. K. G. Pothen, Very Rev. Dr. Easow Mathew, Rev. Abby T. Mammen, Rev. Dr. V. S. Varghese, Rev. Shibi Varghese, and Rev. Arun Thomas (Co-Secretary).

The Catholic Church was represented by H.E. Archbishop Flavio Pace (Co-Chair), His Grace Mathew Moolakkatt, His Grace Dr. Thomas Koorilos Chakkalapadickal; H.E. Bishop Dr. Selvister Ponnumuthan, His Grace Dr Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, Revd Dr Jacob Thekeparampil, Revd Dr Augustine Kadeparambil, Revd Dr Philip Nelpuraparampil, and Revd Fr Hyacinthe Destivelle OP (Co-Secretary).